


Spoilers: Stephanie Won The NERF Combat

by rinwins



Category: TOME: Terrain of Magical Expertise
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Out-of-Game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-13
Updated: 2014-08-13
Packaged: 2018-02-12 23:07:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2127882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinwins/pseuds/rinwins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The gang meet up at a convention that is totally not MAGFest what are you talking about. Shameless, shameless friendship fluff. There may or may not be group hugs (there are totally group hugs).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spoilers: Stephanie Won The NERF Combat

**Author's Note:**

> IRL names borrowed where applicable from the characters' TTA incarnations (Chris- Kirb, Nate- GC, Colin- Nylocke) (and oh wasn't I mad when I realized that 'Nylocke' is 'Colin' pronounced backwards, jeez)

“Aw,  _man_ ,” Stephanie groans, slapping the con program down on the table. “The NERF war overlaps the beginning of the Netking Q&A panel!”

Michael yoinks the program and peers at it. “Not by much. If we leave a little early we can make it-”

“Not if we want good seats. Anyway, the single combat always runs long, and I am going to  _destroy_  Chris this year.”

“Really? He’s been training for months.”

“Pff. So he  _claims_. Probably been shooting a dartboard taped to the fridge. Are you taking his  _side_?”

“Ahaha, what, no! I’m just saying maybe the rest of us ought to start a betting pool, right, Nate? … Nate?”

Nate, meanwhile, is slouched down on his end of the absurdly comfy couch, retreating further and further into the depths of his purple hoodie. Michael looks at him, exchanges a look with Stephanie, and they both wince. The lounge-type area they’re holed up in was quiet when they sat down, but as more and more con-goers arrive, it’s getting a bit more crowded and a  _lot_  louder.

“Oh jeez, sorry,” Michael says. “Do you need to move?”

Nate shakes his head briefly.

“Okay. You know you can tell us, though, right?” This time Nate nods.

Stephanie fishes out her phone to check the time. “Chris should be back from the airport soon anyway,” she says. “You gonna hold out until then?”

“I’m  _okay_ ,” Nate says, more irritated than anything else. He hikes his enormous headphones up over his ears and slouches back again.

Stephanie scoots closer on the couch, just in case, and they turn their attention back to the program.

About fifteen minutes later, a phone rings. Stephanie jumps for hers- Nate even sits up a little straighter- but it’s actually Michael’s. “Chris!” he says. “You back?” Pause. “No, we’re on the balcony thing in the atrium- the  _atrium,_ next to the check-in desk.” Another pause, some vaguely-audible garbled yelling from the phone. “Where are you, dude? …What, why are you down  _there_? Okay, uh, look for the escalator and-”

Stephanie rolls her eyes and stands up so she can look down over the railing into the atrium. “Hey, Chris!” she yells into the crowd below. “Chris! Oh for-  _Kirb!_ ”

There’s something vaguely like a shout in response. Then there’s something that’s  _definitely_  a shout. Stephanie waves her arms in something halfway between directions and an excited greeting.

A minute later, Colin comes barreling up the escalator still yelling and sweeps her into a huge hug.

Michael stands up and Colin lets go of Stephanie to hug him with one arm. “I’m not doing a group hug,” Chris declares, catching up. Stephanie sticks her tongue out at him.

Meanwhile, Nate is gradually emerging from his hoodie. He lowers the headphones tentatively, staring at Colin. Colin stares back seriously. Then he removes his glasses.

“Hold these,” he says, handing them off to Chris.

“Dude, what-”

In the next second, Nate launches himself around the table, and Colin catches him up in a hug that practically lifts him off the ground.

The others back up hastily, in case of any spinning-related incidents. But there’s no spinning. They just hug it out, and when Nate’s feet are securely back on the shiny hotel floor, Colin reaches out to pull the rest of them in again.

“No way,” Chris protests, “I said I’m  _not_  doing the group hug.”

“Now now, come and get the affection over with-”

“Hey, get off me, you overgrown-”

“Michael, get him!”

“ _Hey!_ ”


End file.
